Valved steam tube for machine guns



Jan. 22, 1935. F. D. HOPPERT VALVED STEAM TUBE FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed Nov. 20, 1933 Inventur Filser D Hn Ert EV WMMWZ Att arr-Lay Patented Jan. 22, 1935 P UNITED STATES VALVESD sTEAM TUBE FOR; MACHINE GUNS Filser D. flloppert, Springfield, Mass. Application November 20, 1933,- Serial No. 698,859

4 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757;)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a valved steam tube for machine guns.

Water-cooled machine guns are provided with a tube for conducting steam out of the water jacket. The tube has an inlet at both its front and rear ends and a gravity-operated sleeve valve selectively closes the inlets upon elevation or depression of the gun.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an arrangement which will tend to insure the free slidability of the sleeve valve and prevent the accumulation of deposits on the bearing surfaces.

The invention is characterized by a sleeve valve formed of two parts having a limited relatlve movement to provide for mutual impact.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed :vithout departing from the spirit of the invenion.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the water jackets of a machine gun showing the steam-escape tube with both inlets uncovered.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the steam-escape tube and sleeve valve, taken through the coupling means of the sleeve-valve, and showing the sleeve valve in rearmost position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the coupling end of one part of the sleeve valve.

Fig. 5 is a view in end elevation of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the coupling end 01 the other part of the sleeve valve, and

Fig. '7 is a view in end elevation of Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 1 there is shown the water jaeketsofamaehinegnnandthesseslgan barrel 6. In the upper part of the water jacket is a. steam tube 7 mounted in the conventional manner by means of a socket 8 in the rear end of the jacket and a threadedly secured plug 9 in the front end of the Jacket. The tube is provided with a rear inlet 10, a front inlet 11, and

a front outlet 12 :leading through the'plug 9 and jacketfi. s

. Thetube 7 is formed a-front'bearing' 1 3', (Fig. 2) a rear bearing 14 and a centerv bearing 15 for supporting a sleeve valve consisting of a front sleeve 16 and a rear sleeve 17. The bearings are cylindrical, but the front and rear bearings preferably include tapered portions respectively 13a and 14a for a purpose that 'Will appear hereinafter.

As shown in Fig. 4 the front end of the rear sleeve 17 is formed with a pair of similar opposite recesses 18-18 each having a reduced portion 19. to provide shoulders 20-20. As shown in Fig. 6 the rear end of the front sleeve 16 is provided with a pair of similar, opposite, T-shaped fingers 21-21 adapted to be received in the recesses 18 as seen in Fig. 1. The heads 22 of the fingers are dimensioned so that they are movable longitudinally in the recesses 18 being limited by engagement with the shoulders 20 and the opposite wall 23. This coupling between the front and rear sleeve valves 16 and 17 is positioned over the center bearing 15 of the steam tube 7 and the bearing is of sufficient length to cover the joint of the sleeve valves throughout their stroke.

As seen in Fig. 1 when the gun is in a horizontal position the sleeve valves 16 and 17 have a total length approximately equal to the distance between the inlets 10 and 11 of the steam tube 7 so that it is possible for both of the inlets to be uncovered.

Upon elevation of the gun the sleeve valves 16 and 17 under the influence of gravity slide rearwardly on the tube 7 to cover the rear inlet 10 as indicated in Fig. 2. The rear portion of the mechanism will be submerged in the cooling medium, usually water, contained in the jacket, and the front inlet 11 will be exposed and open to enable the steam to escape through the outlet 12. It will be noted that in this position the rear end of the rear sleeve 1'1 will be engaged with a large portion of the rear bearing 14 while the front end of the front sleeve 16 will be positioned over the tapered portion 13a of the front bearing 13 and will accordingly have a loose fit with relation thereto, avoiding any tendency to stick by reason of the acoumuiation of deposits on either of the members.

When the gun is depressed below the horizontal, the two sleeves should move forward due to gravity, but the rear sleeve is sometimes held against free sliding movement. In this situation the front sleeve commences to move independently and the heads 22 of the fingers 21 impact the shoulders 20 of the rear sleeve to initiate its movement. When the front sleeve is arrested the rear sleeve continues its movement to take up the play in the coupling. This procedure is reversed when the gun is again elevated as the coupling permits mutual im acting by the sleeve valves.

The tube 1 is pgefetably' 'formed, with-large openings 24 disposed in the reduced portion between the bearings for the purpose of reducing weight and this is permissible because the tube is supplemented by the sleeve valves 16 and 17.

I claim: H v

1. A steam tube having a central bearing surface and end bearing surfaces with-tapered portions, an inlet in each end bearing, an outlet for the tube, a pair of sleeve valves slidably mounted on the bearing surfaces of the tube, one'sleeve having recesses in one end, each-with a. reduced entrance, fingers on a complementary end of the other sleeve and: each extending through an entrance of a recess, and a T-shaped head-on each finger movable longitudirmlly within the limits of a recess. v

2. A steam tube having inlets at opposite ends and having an outlet, a pair of sleeve valves slidably mounted on the tube, one sleeve having recesses in one end, each with a reduced entrance, fingers on a complementary end of the other sleeve and each extending through an entrance of a recess, anda T-shaped.liead- .pn each, finger movable longitudinally-1 witlijlni thee-limits of a recess.

3. A steam tube having inlets at opposite ends and having an outlet, a pair of sleeve valves slidably mounted on the tube, one sleeve having recesses in one end, fingers on a complementary end of the other sleeve, and a T-shaped head on each finger movable longitudinally within the limits of a recess.

4. A steam tube having inlets at opposite ends and having an outlet, and a pair of sleeve valves slidably mounted-on the tube and having a 10stmotion coupling whereby theyare mutually im- 20 

